A different style came through the Guitar-X doors for the recent master class. Technical
death metal blasted through the room as Dan Foord and James Leach (SiKth) began with
two tracks drawing everyone in. They played very difficult parts with power and
consistency.

Foord went on to talk about his cymbal set up after a question about his china. It drew
attention to the discs in the cymbals which produce an unorthodox sound. He swiftly moved
on to talk about the on beats being played on his right foot while on his left, the off beats. He
demonstrated this technique in two more high energy and loud tracks.

Foord then explained how holding a rhythmic motif within a song helps keep the melodic
motifs coherent and solid. This was accompanied by a talk on the importance of fitness. He
explained that on tour the first shows are tough but then it eases up as your body adjusts to
the demanding work needed to create a great show every time. And you can imagine playing
this fast moving music every night being extremely tiring!

Foord played with many triggers and he explained that they help him create a consistent
sound every night. The isolation improved and on stage also made sure that there was no
leakage between snare, tom and bass drum mics. He showed how he matches the trigger
sound to live drums to create a more natural sound.

This moved on to how he writes his ideas down in shorthand, which cam from working with
cubase, and how important it is to be able to read. Not only does it help with future jobs but it
can help with communicating your ideas with other band members. And we all know
important it is to make sure your singer knows when not to come in!

The master class came to an end as Foord brought up the development of speed. That it is
very important to build up your speed with a metronome from an extremely slow tempo. He
demonstrated his foot technique at both slow and fast tempos and explained that at faster
tempos he uses much smaller motions. He left us by saying that you must create your own
exercises depending on what you intend to create. So, everyone, get to it!